


Aloittaa alusta (Valentine's Week)

by hfleury



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Carolina Hurricanes, M/M, Secret Admirer, The Canes Exchange 2018, loosely based on a hallmark movie called "my christmas love"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-24 09:04:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16171949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hfleury/pseuds/hfleury
Summary: When Sebastian starts getting anonymous Valentines Day gifts delivered to his dorm room, he can't help but suspect Teuvo.---As Sebastian sat in his lecture he couldn’t focus. It was weird how quickly his priorities switched from school to the mysterious gifts. A week ago the only thing he cared about was his classes; making sure everything from notes to test grades were perfect. But now, the only thing that mattered to him was these gifts and whoever was sending them to him. The most obvious option was Teuvo. He was the only person that Sebastian had really interacted with since he got to the school, but they were just friends, right? What if Noah was right?What if Teuvo wanted to be more than friends and Sebastian had never realized it?What if this was his way of explaining his feelings?What if he was in love with Teuvo?





	Aloittaa alusta (Valentine's Week)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hock_hug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hock_hug/gifts).



> i really hope you enjoy the fic, i had a blast writing it!!!
> 
> For ease of reading: I added a lot of Finnish (all of which i used a translating app for, so it might not be perfect), and for the most part I added a line after it in English to explain. I tried to make it so that you could read the fic without having a dictionary open, so there shouldn't really be a reason to translate everything unless you want to!! (the only exception for this is teuvo's name in seb's phone "häntä", which translates to "him")
> 
> enjoy!!!!

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Be-_

 

Sebastian tossed his arm over his body, fumbling until he hit the snooze button on his alarm; _he knew scheduling a class at seven in the morning was a mistake_. Quietly he rolled out of his bed and got dressed, being careful not to disturb his roommate, Noah, who was still sleeping peacefully on the other side of the room. Sebastian grabbed his bag and slipped out of the door, making his way down the empty hallway of the dormitory. The mornings were usually like this, very few people were willing to wake up this early three times a week just to go sit in a lecture hall. As he left the building he fought with his headphones, fidgeting with them until they were one cohesive wire instead of a balled-up mess. Shoving them into his ears and opening Spotify, a banner popped onto the top of his screen before he could make a song selection.

 

 _FROM häntä_ : up yet?

 _FROM häntä_ : don’t make me come get you again

 

 _Teuvo._ Sebastian grinned as he typed his reply.

 

 _TO häntä:_ im omw

 _TO häntä:_ usual spot?

 

He already knew the answer, but it never hurt to ask. Walking in between buildings towards the center of campus he scrolled through his playlists, finally finding the one he wanted. “ _The only playlist that matters_ ” was the title that Teuvo had come up with when he made the playlist; he pressed shuffle and _Why Did It Have to Be Me?_ by ABBA began to quietly play.

 

 _FROM_ _häntä_ _:_ ofc

 _FROM_ _häntä_ _:_ you think i know how to get anywhere else on this campus?

 

Sebastian rolled his eyes as he walked. Without discussion, they had both decided to take a semester to study abroad and had coincidentally ended up at the same school in middle-of-nowhere North Carolina. They had been at the school for a little over a month, but they always ended up in the same place: the fountain in the middle of campus. He strolled past the science building and the student store, finally making it to central campus. Straight ahead, he saw someone sitting on one of the brick half-walls surrounding the fountain.

“How do I always manage to beat you here?”

“You must get a head start,” Sebastian said, taking a seat beside him. “Or maybe you just walk fast.”

“I had to get this though,” Teuvo said with a smile, handing Sebastian a bag and a large Starbucks cup. “Black with two sugars and an everything bagel with cream cheese.”

“How do you remember that?” Sebastian laughed, taking the bagel out of the bag. “I only ordered it once in front of you.”

“I guess it just stuck with me,” Teuvo shrugged. “Did you ever finish your work last night?”

“Yeah, it took me until one in the morning though,” Sebastian huffed. “Who’d thought Anatomy would be harder in the states?”

“Maybe it’s not,” Teuvo said simply. “ _Maybe_ deciding to take nineteen hours while abroad was a bad idea.”

“I wanted to take as many classes as I could,” Sebastian shrugged. “I’m only going to be here once and the program here is _way_ better than the one at home.”

“It’s your funeral,” Teuvo joked. “What are you doing tonight?”

“I’m probably just going to grab a study room in the library and chill until it closes, why?”

“My roommates invited me to go get drinks with them, you should come too.”

“No.” Sebastian barely gave him time to finish his proposal. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why did you want to study abroad if you’re not going to go off campus?” Teuvo questioned. “We’re just walking downtown and having dinner. It’ll be fun!” Sebastian shook his head as he took a sip of his coffee. “Have you talked to anyone besides me since you got here?”

“Yeah,” Sebastian answered defensively. “I talk to my roommate.”

“Really?” Teuvo scoffed. “What’s his last name?”

“Ha-” Sebastian stopped. He had only talked to Noah once at the beginning of the semester when he introduced himself. “Handy? Harding?”

“Exactly. You need to get out and meet people, staying in the library twenty-four-seven isn’t good for you.” Teuvo said, pushing himself off of the wall. “And by the way, his last name is Hanifin.”  
“How do you know?” Sebastian squinted.

“We’re in the same Philosophy class.” Teuvo collected his things off of the ground as he spoke. “He’s coming tonight too, it’ll be a great chance for you to get to know _who you’ve been living with_.”

“I’m not-”

“See you at seven,” he cut him off before Sebastian could reject his offer. “We’re meeting by the West End dining hall.” Sebastian tried to interject again, but he had already turned around. “ _Hei hei_.”

“Bye,” Sebastian muttered. He watched as Teuvo walked away, waiting until he was completely out of sight before collecting his things and heading to class. His first lecture of the day, _Advanced Vitamins and Minerals_ , was just the first of seven classes he had decided to take while abroad. While registering for classes he thought it would be a good idea to take a full schedule of major-specific classes, he had been _very wrong_ . Even a month into the semester, he could tell that there was a reason you needed special permission to take nineteen hours. He popped his headphones in and started his music, this time _Take Me On_ by a-ha began to play. Quietly walking to class, he couldn’t help but think about Teuvo. _Why did he remember all of that stuff?_ His breakfast order he had only heard once in passing, his roommate’s last name, his schedule; They had known each other for a while, but not nearly long enough to have all of that memorized. _And why did he care so much about going out together?_ Is that what friends do? Force each other to socialize?

Sebastian sat quietly in the back of the lecture hall, taking diligent notes as the professor dragged through his lecture. This early in the morning it was difficult to concentrate, but he tried his best to stay focused. After being dismissed, he took his time packing up his things back into his bag; his next class wasn’t for another two hours, so he had plenty of time. He slung his bag into his back and put his headphones in, this time hearing _Off She Goes_ by Bad Suns. There was a weird mix of new alternative music and old pop and disco on the playlist that Sebastian found charming. He couldn’t find any reason for all of the songs to be shoved together besides the fact that they all had a good beat.

He made it to the library quickly, going up to the third floor and taking a seat in an empty corner. The third floor was known as the “Study Floor”, strictly no noise. Sebastian preferred it; every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for the past month he had come to the same cubicle in the far corner, trying his best to hide from everyone while he worked. He sat there for almost two hours, listening to music and taking notes for his next class. When the time came, he packed up his things and headed back down the stairs, going to his next class. After another hour it was twelve o’clock, time for lunch. He headed to his usual spot, the student center on the west side of campus. He made his way into the crowded building, getting into one of the lines.

 

 _TO häntä:_ what do you want

 

 _FROM häntä:_ cow place again?

 

 _TO häntä:_ :)

 _TO häntä:_ im in line

 

 _FROM häntä:_ i’ll grab something from language building

 

 _TO häntä:_ your loss

 _TO häntä:_ i’ll be outside

 

He got through the line, paid for his meal, and made his way to the tables outside just in time to spot Teuvo walking towards him. “You’re going to get tired of that eventually,” he said, pointing to the bag Sebastian had placed on the table.

“Wanna bet?” Sebastian laughed. He started to say something else, but he was stopped by someone approaching the table.

“Hey Teuvo,” Noah said with a smile, setting his bag on the ground and taking a seat. “Oh, hey Sebastian! I didn’t hear you get back to the dorm last night.”

“You were asleep,” he said quietly, looking over to Teuvo who was wearing a large grin.

“Yeah, I figured,” Noah laughed. “I was trying to stay up so we could talk. I feel like we haven’t spoken since you moved in.”

“ _Katso, joku yrittää olla ystäväsi_ ,” Teuvo said with a smirk.

“ _Turpa kiinni_ ,” Sebastian scowled.

“What does that mean?” Noah asked, cocking his head to the side.

“I told him to make a friend,” Teuvo answered.

“Well, you’re both coming tonight, right? I already told the rest of the team you’d be there.”

“Yeah we’ll be there.”

“Team?” Sebastian questioned. “I thought you said it was just your roommates.”

“To be fair, they’re all on the team,” Noah laughed. “It’s not that many people though. Just me, Haydn, Ned, Trevor, Brock, Zee, Svech, Petr and Marty. Pretty sure Skinny and Pesce are coming too.”

“Sounds like a lot.” Sebastian frowned.

“You’ll be fine.” Teuvo said, patting him on the back.

“I promise they won’t bite,” Noah laughed. “Well, most of them won’t. I can’t be sure about Pesce.”

“You’ll come?” Teuvo asked, turning to Sebastian who was still frowning.

“Maybe.”

“I’ll take that,” Noah smiled. “The guys are super excited to finally meet you two.”

“Why?”

“There doesn’t have to be a reason,” Teuvo answered before Noah could. “Most people enjoy meeting someone new.” Sebastian rolled his eyes.

“They’re really chill, I promise,” Noah smiled.

“It’ll be fun Seb, just give them a chance.”

“Fine.”

* * *

Six hours and two classes later Sebastian was sitting outside of West End dining hall, nervously picking at the hem of his shirt. Going to a bar with a bunch of strangers was the last thing he wanted to do, but he didn’t feel like he had a choice; if he didn’t show up Teuvo would easily be able to find him around campus and if he couldn’t Noah would be full of questions when he got back to their room. Meeting people had never been Sebastian’s strong suit and the language barrier definitely wasn’t going to help. His English was pretty good considering he’d only been learning for a year, but being surrounded by native speakers made him feel extremely insecure.

“Seb!” Noah shouted as he came into view. “See, told you he’d show.”

“Turbo thought you wouldn’t show,” someone shouted behind him.

“Glad you did, though!” Another person chimed in. “The guys are psyched to meet you.”

“That’s Trevor,” Teuvo introduced. “That’s Alex,”

“Ned,” he corrected. “The only person that calls me Alex is my mom.”

“Ned and Trevor live in suite across from me,” Teuvo explained. “We share a common room.”

“And Dogwood is his roommate.” Noah said, pointing to the other man.

“Haydn,” he said, extending his hand towards Sebastian with a smile.

“Dog… wood. _Puinen koira_ ? _Mitä tuo tarkoittaa_ ? _Miksi he kutsuisivat häntä siihen_?” Sebastian questioned, looking to Teuvo. He snorted, trying his best to not laugh at Sebastian’s confusion.

“What’d he say?” Haydn asked. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s not you,” Teuvo laughed. “He asked why they would call you a wooden dog. Dogwood is a flower, Seb.”

“Well it’s a tree,” Noah corrected. “But it has flowers on it.”

“My last name is Fleury, which is French for flower, and apparently the Dogwood is the state flower here.”

“Clever right?” Noah said with a smirk. “I thought of it.”

“Everyone else is already at Trollingwood, we should probably get going.” Trevor said, beginning to guide the group off campus.

“So Sebastian, do you speak English?” Haydn asked as they made their way downtown.

“Yes,” he answered bluntly. “Not as good as Teuvo.”

“Well, I studies in Chicago last year, so I have a year’s worth of practice,” Teuvo smiled. “You’re not from here either, right Haydn?”

“Nah, I’m from Saskatchewan,” Haydn said with a smile. “I’ve been here since freshman year, though. Now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t think any of us are from here.”

“I’m from Boston and Trev’s from Middleton,” Noah agreed. “It’s a hell-of-a lot cheaper to go out of state than it is to stay up there.” Sebastian nodded, staying silent as the boys continued to speak. They made it to the bar soon after and made their way to the back, where there was a table full of guys talking rather loudly waiting for them.

“About time!” One of them yelled over the rest.

“Guys, this is Sebastian and Teuvo,” Noah said. “They both transferred from Finland.”

“More transfers? I thought we had enough with these guys.” Someone shouted, pointing to a line of guys sitting at the end of the table.

“We’re from Russia,” one of them yelled. “Those two are from Czechia.”

“They play?” Someone else asked.

“Haven’t asked,” Noah shrugged. Everyone took a seat and the guys around the table quickly introduced themselves. “We’re all on the club hockey team,” Noah explained. “Jeff here technically isn’t allowed to play with us but we just say he’s subbing in for someone.”

“I’m getting my masters,” Jeff explained. “Guess grad students can’t play club sports.”

“I played when I was younger,” Teuvo said happily. “You did too, didn’t you Seb?” Sebastian nodded, burying his face into the menu. “ _Ystävystyä_ ,” he whispered, leaning into Sebastian’s ear. He grabbed the menu out of his hands and placed it back on the table. “ _Make friends_.”

“You guys should come skate with us!” Brock said loudly from the end of the table.

“Yeah,” Valentin, one of the Russians, agreed.

“Our season is technically over,” Trevor said, leaning towards them so they could hear. “But we still get together and skate every Friday afternoon.”

“Why aren’t you practicing tonight?” Sebastian asked.

“We just got kicked out of the playoffs, so we decided to go out and celebrate the season,” Ned answered.

“Doesn’t seem like something worth celebrating.”

“We worked really hard this season,” Brock explained. “Celebrating seemed like a better time than sitting alone sulking.”  
“Besides,” Brett chimed in. “It’s not like we’re fighting for the Stanley Cup or anything. It’s a club hockey championship in the south.”

“Why does that matter?” Sebastian questioned.

“It doesn’t,” Brett laughed. “No one cares about hockey down here.”

“Anyways,” Martin shouted over the others. “Why’d you decide to come here? North Carolina is basically the middle of nowhere and this school isn’t even the biggest in the state.”

“The programs.” Sebastian answered simply.

“He’s a nutrition and dietetics major,” Teuvo explained when Sebastian chose not to elaborate. “And I’m working towards my doctorate in physical therapy. Programs like that are better over here.”

“Dogwood’s an athletic training major,” Noah said, elbowing Haydn in the rib cage.

“Yeah,” Haydn confirmed. “I want to go back to Carlyle and coach a youth team.”

“He’s great with kids,” Noah said with a smile. Haydn’s face flushed, turning bright red.

The rest of the night was spent answering questions, about Finland, about their lives, about their majors. A part of Sebastian felt weirdly at home surrounded by the eleven men, but he tried his best to conceal it; no need to prove Teuvo right. They wrapped up the night around ten, said their goodbyes, and made their way to their respected dorms or apartment complexes.

“Text me when you get back to your dorm,” Noah called to Haydn as he fumbled with his keys. “I want to make sure you get there, okay?.”

“Will do,” Haydn said with a smile as he, Teuvo, Trevor, and Ned continued walking down the street.

“ _Hyvää yötä_ ,” Teuvo called over his shoulder.

“ _Hyvää yötä_ ,” Sebastian echoed, following Noah into their building.

“Have you tah?” Noah repeated, looking to Sebastian for approval. He snorted as his smile grew. “What?”

“Your pronunciation is trash,” Sebastian laughed.

“That’s harsh,” Noah huffed, trying his best to act offended. “Speaking of trash, how did you like the guys?”

“They were,” Sebastian paused, trying to think of the right adjective. “ _Mielenkiintoista olla ympärillä_.”

“Woah,” Noah raised his eyebrows. He stuck his key into the door, unlocking it. Sebastian followed him into their room, not bothering to turn the overhead light on. “Wanna try that in English?”

“Uh, they were, um, interesting.” Sebastian said, finally finding the right word.

“That’s one way to describe them,” Noah laughed, slipping down to his boxers and climbing onto his bed. “I know it’s overwhelming to get us all together, but I’m glad you came tonight.”

“So am I,” Sebastian responded, quickly changing into his pajamas and getting into is bed as well.

“We’re all going out again next week,” Noah said, the light of his phone screen shining a bright light onto the walls. “You wanna come?”

“I don’t kn-”

“Teuvo already said yes.”  
“I guess I will, then,” Sebastian quietly laughed.

“Good! I have no idea what we’re doing, the guys are planning a _mid-week bender._ ” he made air quotes.

“For what?” Sebastian questioned.

“Well, Valentine's day is next week and so is Petr’s birthday. Plus, we didn’t get to properly celebrate my birthday, so we’re going all out.” Noah snorted. “I’m sure they won’t do anything too drastic, but it’ll be crazy. Anyways, I’ll text Brock and tell him to add you to the group chats.”

“Group chats?”

“Yeah, you have those in Finland, right?” Noah asked, not sounding the least bit sarcastic.

“Of course we do,” Sebastian answered matter-of-factly. “Why would Brock need to add me to one?”

“Two,” Noah corrected. “One has the whole group in it and the other is everyone minus me and Petr.” He did some quick typing on his phone before talking again. “The big one is named _the Pepsi_ , and then the little trademark sign _, Storm Squad_ . The other one is called _Drink Until We Die Twenty-forever._ ”

“Those are some, uh, interesting names.”

“Pesce came up with them. I can’t tell you why,” Noah laughed. “Actually, I can explain the first one. The first time we all hung out, like as the whole big group, was when we took the van and drove down to New Bern for the first time. There is a Pepsi museum downtown, so we took all of the new guys there. It was the first time we all really had a chance to bond as a group, it was super nice. On our way back it was raining like crazy and every time we’ve traveled together since then we’ve gotten caught in a storm, _hence the Storm Squad_.”

“Sounds like fun,” Sebastian said, rolling over in his bed.

“It was,” Noah said with a smile. “We should take you and Teuvo there sometime before you go.” Sebastian nodded as he continued. “Don’t worry about the whole _drink until you die_ thing. The guys know we can’t get too crazy.”

The rest of the night was spent with Noah telling Sebastian about North Carolina’s attractions; the beaches, the mountains, the various historical monuments. Sebastian had done quite a lot of research before deciding to come to the state, but hearing about the things he’d read from someone who had lived here, who’d experienced them, made them feel completely different.

Noah passed out around three in the morning, leaving Sebastian to his thoughts. The reason he wanted to study abroad was to experience new things, so why was he already shutting everything out? He had been here for a month, plenty of time to get adjusted to the new time zone, the new weather, and the new people. Being shy wasn’t an option here, this trip was a once in a lifetime thing for him, he needed to start making the most of it. He laid there, restlessly tossing in his bed for the rest of the night.

* * *

 

Saturday was a blur of studying and takeout. Sebastian and Noah stayed together in their dorm room, talking about everything they should have been talking about for the past month.

 

 _FROM häntä_ : what are you doing rn?

 

 _TO häntä_ : uh, nothing?

 _TO häntä_ : noah is helping me study but we’re breaking for lunch

 

 _FROM häntä_ : want some company?

 

 _TO häntä_ : always

 

 _FROM häntä_ : be there in five

 

Five minutes later Teuvo and Haydn were inside of their room.

“So, what have you guys been doing?” Haydn asked as he took a bite of his sandwich.

“Seb’s got me helping him study,” Noah rolled his eyes. “I’m not even in a nutrition class but I bet I could pass a test.”

“There isn’t a test,” Teuvo laughed. “He’s studying for a test that hasn’t even been assigned yet.”

“I want to pass,” Sebastian shrugged. “Sue me.”

“You’re _definitely_ going to pass,” Noah snorted.

For the next few hours the four boys sat there talking; Teuvo and Haydn went back to their room around five o’clock. Sebastian and Noah decided to cut the day short, turning off the lights at ten.

Sunday morning came abruptly with a banging on their door.

“Are you expecting someone?” Noah said groggily, rolling out of his bed.

“No, are you?” Sebastian asked, his feet hitting the cold floor as he followed Noah towards the door. Noah shook his head as he opened the door. The boys were greeted by an older man holding a hockey stick and a bouquet of red roses.

“For you, from someone who loves you dearly.” The man said cheerily. “You’ll need this later in the week.” He pushed the items towards Sebastian.

“Are you sure it is mine?” Sebastian asked quietly.

“For Sebastian, not his roommate Noah.” The old man recited, as if he had been told it one hundred times. “I’m sure.”

“Uh,” Sebastian turned to Noah. He smiled, grabbing the flowers and stick from the man.

“Thank you,” Noah tipped his head in thanks.

“Four days!” The man said happily as Noah closed the door.

“ _What?_ ”

“Whoever sent this to you obviously doesn’t know your height, this stick is my size.” Noah laughed. “Cute idea though.”

“Why would someone send me a stick?” Sebastian asked, grabbing it from Noah and placing it in the corner of the room.

“Beats me. Maybe you have a secret admirer.” Noah shrugged. “Why don’t we read the note?” He reached into the bouquet and pulled out a small card. “This is the only way I know how to express how much you mean to me,” he read. “Same time. Same place. Tomorrow.”

“You’re the only person on campus I’ve talked to besides,” Sebastian paused. “Teuvo.”

“Are you guys together?”

“No.” Sebastian barely let him finish his sentence. “We’re friends.”

“Maybe he’s trying to be more than that,” Noah suggested. Sebastian stayed quiet, not quite knowing how to respond.

That sentence stayed with him for the rest of the day. What if he _was_ trying to be more than friends? Sebastian had never thought of him as anything else than a friend; a friendly face to talk to. _But what was a boyfriend if not someone to talk to_?

 

 _FROM häntä_ : what’s up?

 

The vibrations of his phone interrupted his thoughts. Teuvo always managed to text him every time Sebastian was thinking about him.

 

 _TO häntä_ : nothing

 _TO häntä_ : you?

 

 _FROM häntä_ : same

 _FROM häntä_ : haydn’s been stressing out all day and it’s starting to rub off

 

 _TO häntä_ : wanna go get breakfast?

 

 _FROM häntä_ : west end?

 

 _TO häntä_ : meet you there in 10 :)

 

“I’m going to go get breakfast,” Sebastian said, turning to Noah who was smiling at his phone.

“Perfect timing! So am I,” Noah laughed, turning the screen towards him. “Haydn and I are going to West End.”

“Teuvo and I are going there too,” Sebastian laughed.

“Great minds think alike I guess.” A few minutes later the group had convened inside of the dining hall and had taken a seat in a back-corner talbe.

“Seb, how tall are you?” Noah asked an hour into their meal.

“What?”

“How tall are you?”

“Why do you need to know how-”

“Five-eleven, right?” Teuvo cut him off. “Same as me.”

“Huh,” Noah huffed.

“Why do you ask?” Teuvo questioned.

“Just wanted to know,” Noah shrugged.

“You’re weird, man,” Haydn laughed.

They stayed there for another hour or so, talking about whatever came up. Noah tried to hint at the gifts, but Teuvo never budged. Sebastian had never felt so comfortable around strangers. He’d barely known these people for a month, Teuvo excluded, but for some reason he felt at home.

“Are you going to the movie on the field tomorrow?” Haydn asked as they approached Sebastian and Noah’s dorm.

“They’re showing Inception right?” Noah asked. “I love that movie, of course I’m going.”

“I’m going too,” Teuvo said. “Seb?”

“Never seen it,” Sebastian shrugged. “But sure.”

“Perfect,” Haydn smiled. They stopped in front of the dorm as Noah fumbled with his keys. “See you tomorrow!” The two smiled and nodded as they walked inside of the building.

“I can’t believe he didn’t say anything,” Noah blurted out as soon as the door closed behind him. “If that was me I would have spilled it _so_ fast. Maybe it isn’t him. I mean he knew your height, so there’s no reason for the stick to be the wrong size.”

“I guess he’s waiting for something,” Sebastian mumbled. “Or maybe it isn’t him, yeah. What did that guy say? Same time, same place?”

“Oh yeah,” Noah agreed. “Maybe he’s going to tell you tomorrow.” Sebastian shrugged in agreement. He spent the rest of the night trying his best to get his homework done, but the only thing he could focus on was Teuvo. _Why wouldn’t he just tell me if he liked me? Why send a gift with a weirdly-cryptic message?_ He sat in the dorm for the rest of the day, his mind jumbled. Giving up on his homework around midnight, he crawling into his bed for a restless sleep.

* * *

Noah’s alarm went off just as there was a knock on the door. “Same time, same place,” Noah smirked, checking the time on his phone. “Seb, get up.” He opened the door to the smiling face of the same old man.

“Good morning to you,” he said happily. “Another gift from someone who loves you.” He handed Noah a bouquet of flowers and large box. “Don’t forget the note.”

“Thanks,” Noah yawned as he closed the door. “Carnations,” he said, tossing the flowers and the box onto the end of Sebastian’s bed.

“What’s in the box?” he asked lazily.

“It’s your gift, open it,” Noah said, grabbing the card out of the bouquet while Sebastian tore into the box.

“Did you think I was going to stop at a stick?” Noah read. “Everything will make sense on Wednesday.”

“They’re skates,” Sebastian said, pulling a pair hockey skates out of the box. “What’s on Wednesday?”

“Petr’s birthday.” Noah laughed. “Oh, and Valentines Day. Teuvo’s really pulling out all of the stops.”

“We don’t know it’s Teuvo.”

“Who else would it be from?”

“I don’t know,” Sebastian shrugged.

“I hate surprises,” Noah huffed. “I think you should just grill him until he confesses.”

“That’s a horrible idea.”

“Is not.”

Sebastian quickly got dressed as Noah continued to talk. They said their goodbyes and headed to class; the rest day was a haze of lectures. Sebastian might as well have just not gone to class, because he couldn’t remember a thing that happened. All he had to show for the day was half a page of notes from one class and not even a sentence from another. The note was the only thing he could focus on; _Everything will make sense on Wednesday._ That meant there was another two days of this agony.

At seven o’clock he started to make his way to the band practice field.

“Hey, Seb!” Haydn called as the field came into view.

“ _Hei_ ,” Teuvo smiled. “I didn’t think you were going to come.”  
“Why do you always say that?” Sebastian asked, pretending to be offended. “Do you have that little faith in me?”

“Maybe it’s because for the first month we were here you were constantly blowing me off,” Teuvo laughed. “ _Olen iloinen, että olet täällä.”_

“I’m… glad,” Haydn said, trying to translate.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Teuvo finished.

“I got half of it!”

“He’s trying to get me to teach him,” Teuvo laughed. “He’s actually not bad.”

“ _Kiitos_!” Haydn smiled.

“Good for you, dude,” Noah smirked, taking a seat next to him. “Last time I tried to say something in Finnish, Seb told me my pronunciation was trash, so-”

“It’s starting,” Teuvo cut Noah off before he could say anything else. The projector flicked off a few times before settling into a bright white light against the inflatable screen. The movie began to play, filling the field with noise. Sebastian glanced at Teuvo, who was laser focused on the screen. Within half an hour he was completely lost.

“I don’t understand. What’s happening?” Sebastian whispered to Teuvo.

“That guy is dreaming and everyone else is inside of his dream.”

“Why?”

“Have you been paying attention at all?” Teuvo giggled quietly.

“I’ve been preoccupied,” Sebastian shrugged. “I’m too cold to focus.”

“Why didn’t you say something earlier?” Teuvo asked, scooting closer to him. He put his arm around Sebastian’s shoulder, draping him in half of his blanket. “We can share,” he flashed him a smile before turning his attention back to the screen. It wasn’t long before Sebastian felt himself drifting off; his eyelids become heavy, making it hard to blink. Teuvo’s body was warm against Sebastian's cold skin, making him feel weirdly at home. He laid his head on Teuvo’s shoulder as he felt himself drift off. _A friend wouldn’t do this, right?_

“Seb?” Teuvo’s whisper sent shivers down his spine. He slowly opened his eyes to a dark screen and an empty field. Realising that his head was still resting on Teuvo’s shoulder, he quickly raised it and pushed himself off of the ground. “How were you able to sleep? You know it’s an action movie, right?”

“It’s late.”

“It’s barely eleven,” Teuvo laughed.

“That’s late enough for me to be tired,” Sebastian shrugged.

“Okay, sure. I guess we should get you back to your dorm then. You want me to walk you back?”

“I’ll be fine,” Sebastian smiled. “Thanks, though.”

“If you say so.” Teuvo pushed himself off of the ground as he spoke. “See you tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow.” Sebastian nodded he turned and started up the hill. The walk was short and quiet; he made it to his room where Noah was already sitting in his bed.

“Nice nap?” Noah smirked.

“It wasn’t a good movie,” Sebastian shrugged. “The only reason I came was because-”

“Because Turbo asked you to?” Noah finished his sentence. “You sure there’s nothing going on between you two?”

“No.”

“No you’re not sure?”

“No, there’s not-” Sebastian cut himself short. “I don’t know. I’ve never thought of him as a… I think I like him, but I…” he shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t stress yourself out, you’ll figure it out eventually,” Noah said with a smile. “Are you going to Still Life with us tomorrow?”

“It’s a Tuesday. Why would I go clubbing with you on a school night?”

“Because it’s mine and Petr’s joint birthday party,” Noah said matter-of-factly. “Plus it’d be a great place for you and Teuvo to talk it out.”

“You think a nightclub is a good place to talk? In Finland talking is the last thing you’d do in a club.”

“I’m trying to say that it’s a stress free environment. No pressure or anything. It’ll be something fun to do instead of thinking yourself into a coma and if a conversation happens to come up, you know,” he shrugged. “You should come.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Good enough.”

* * *

The next morning Sebastian was woken up, again, by a knock on the door. This time he opened it and was, once again, greeted by a smiling old man.

“One more day until the grand finale,” The man grinned as he handed Sebastian a bouquet of flowers and a large bag. “Another gift, from the same person as before. Whoever it is must _really_ like you.”

“Thanks.” Sebastian smiled as he closed the door.

“What is it today?” Noah asked groggily, inspecting the flowers. “White lilacs, cute.”

“How do you know so much about flowers?”

“My little sister wanted to be a botanist for a while.” Noah said simply. “She got really into flower language too.”

“Flower language?”

“Yeah, each flower has a specific meaning. So far, you’ve gotten red roses, red carnations, and white lilacs, which all represent love. Seems like Teuvo’s pretty whipped for you.”

“Sometimes it feels like _you’re_ not speaking English,” Sebastian huffed. “What is whipped?”

“Seriously? It means, like, in love or something.”

“ _Great_ ,” he sighed, grabbing a handful of pucks out of the bag. Inspecting them further, they all had a date on them. “Do these mean anything to you?” He tossed a few of them to Noah.

“Not off the top of my head, no. You could always text Teuvo and ask him what they mean.”

“Why are you convinced they’re from Teuvo?”  
“Oh you’re _totally_ right. It _has_ to be that girl in your nutrition class who’s been eyeing you for the past month. What was her name? Katie, Kenzie, Kylie-”

“I can’t wait until this is over,” Sebastian cut him off, hitting Noah on the arm. He quickly got dressed and headed to class. As he sat in his lecture he, again, couldn’t focus. It was weird how quickly his priorities switched from school to the mysterious gifts. A week ago the only thing he cared about was his classes; making sure everything from notes to test grades were perfect. But now, the only thing that mattered to him was these gifts and whoever was sending them to him. The most obvious option _was_ Teuvo. He was the only person that Sebastian had really interacted with since he got to the school, but they were just friends, _right_ ? What if Noah was right? What if Teuvo wanted to be more than friends and Sebastian had never realized it? What if this was his way of explaining his feelings? _What if he was in love with Teuvo_?

 

 _TO noah_ : can we meet somewhere?

 _TO noah_ : i need to talk to someone before i explode

 

 _FROM noah_ : ofc

 _FROM noah_ : i get out of class in fifteen, meet me in the student center?

 

 _TO noah_ : okay

 

As soon as his professor dismissed the class Sebastian was out of the door, speed walking across campus to the student center. He took a seat in the corner, keeping his eyes on the door until he saw Noah come in.

“What’s up?” Noah asked as he took a seat.

“What if I am in love with Teuvo? What if I’ve been so busy and stress that I didn’t notice it until now and he’s been into me this whole time but didn’t want to tell me about it until now? What if he loves me more than I love him? I don’t want to let him down or seem like I’m taking advantage of him. What if he thinks that I’m only saying that I love him because of the whole gift thing? Or what if-”  
“Okay, slow down,” Noah cut him off. “You’re overthinking this.”

“I just-”

“Do you like him, yes or no?” Sebastian paused. The question was simple, but he couldn’t seem to answer it.

“I don’t know.”

“That wasn’t an option,” Noah smiled. “I think you need to take a step back. Forget about the word love, it’s too heavy. Let’s start simple, is he your friend?”

“Of course.”

“Okay. Would you consider going out with him?”

“Yeah, I think I would.”

“Don’t think, give me a yes or no. If he came in here right now and asked you on a date what would you say?”

“I’d say yes,” Sebastian said nodding.

“There’s your answer then. Don’t worry about loving him, you don’t have to. If you like him enough to go on a date then that’s enough to start a relationship,” Noah paused for a second. “You guys have known each other for a while and it might seem weird to be something other than friends, but if there’s something there you should go after it. Don’t work yourself up.”

“That actually helped a lot, thanks.”

“No problem, man.” Noah smiled. “You know, Still Life would be a _great_ place to ask him out.”

“I don’t know if clubbing on a Tuesday is a great idea.”

“ _Come on_ . We’ll only be there for two hours tops. It’ll be a great chance for you to de-stress. Plus it’s Petr’s birthday, _you have to come_.”

“Fine,” Sebastian huffed. “Two hours and then I’m out.”

“Perfect. See you tonight then!” Noah said with a smile. He glanced at his watch before getting out of his seat and collecting his things. “I need to get to class, but I’ll text you before we go.”

“Okay,” Sebastian smiled back. He knew he’d regret going out in the morning, but at the moment he was all for de-stressing.

* * *

Noah had texted him at eight that the group was leaving at ten, so Sebastian had plenty of time to get ready, mentally and physically. Haydn, Ned, Trevor, Noah, and Teuvo met him outside of his dorm exactly at ten o’clock and the group walked downtown to Still Life, where they were greeted by the rest of the team.

“The Finns are back!” Brock announced as he saw them approaching.

“Hey guys!” Jeff smiled widely. “I’m glad you could make it!”

“Can we go in now?” Brett asked loudly. “I don’t have class tomorrow and I’m ready to get _trashed_.”

“Do you have to get drunk every time we go out?” Petr laughed.

“What’s the fun if we don’t?” Trevor chimed in. “Come one birthday boy, don’t be a downer.”

“There we go, Riemer!” Brett yelled, patting him on the shoulder. “We’re getting you New Jersey drunk tonight, Maz!”

“That’s the spirit!” Martin smiled.

“Commence operation _drink until we die twenty-forever_!” Ned yelled, pointing towards the club’s entrance. The group cheered as they entered the club and were greeted with flashing lights and loud music. They split up, half of them heading straight to the bar and the other half making their way to the dance floor. Sebastian pushed through the crowd until he reached the other side, finding a table in the corner to take a seat at. His eyes wandered around the room, watching as his friends peeled off from one another to go get a drink or flirt, or both. Petr, Brett, Martin, and a few of the others were still at the bar, drinking like it truly was their last day on Earth.

“ _Hei_ ,” Teuvo’s voice made Sebastian jump. “Why are you sitting here alone?”

“I didn’t feel like getting wasted on a Tuesday.”

“ _Tule tanssimaan,”_ Teuvo grabbed Sebastian’s hand and pulled him out of his seat.

“I don’t dance.”

“Neither do I,”  
“Then why do you want to dance?” Sebastian laughed.

“Why do you always question me? Just come dance.” Teuvo tugged on him again, this time pulling him away from the table and out into the dance floor. Teuvo immediately grabbed him by the waist, trying to get him to move to the music. Sebastian stayed stiff, unwilling to humor him.

“I told you I don’t dance,” he yelled over the music.

“And I told you I don’t either,” Teuvo smiled, adjusting his hand further behind Sebastian’s waist. He swung him around the dance floor, each time their bodies getting closer together. By the fourth song Sebastian felt comfortable, his body grinding against Teuvo’s to the beat. Four more songs and twice as many drinks later all of Sebastian’s stress was gone. The music was booming and Teuvo was still dancing happily.

“ _Teuvo_ ,” Sebastian’s face dropped from happy to serious, stopping Teuvo in his tracks.

“What? Are you okay?” Teuvo asked. “You look-” he was stopped by Sebastian’s lips heavily pressed against his. Sebastian closed his eyes and gently placed his hands on Teuvo’s cheeks. When the two finally parted neither of them said a word.

“I’m-” Teuvo started, but before he could say another word Sebastian was gone. He turned to go after him, but he quickly lost him in the crowd. Teuvo spent the next hour looking for him; going around to everyone he knew in the club, asking if they’d seen him. Finally, he decided to go outside; pushing through the crowd and towards the door, he was going to walk back to his dorm, but he stopped when he saw someone across the parking lot.

 _Sebastian_.

“ _Oletko kunnossa_?” Teuvo asked, taking a seat next to him on the curb.

“Fine.” Sebastian nodded. “I just needed to get some fresh air.”

“Okay,” Teuvo said simply. For a moment they sat there in silence, watching the cars go by. “You want to talk about it?” He broke the silence, but Sebastian didn’t answer; his eyes were fixed on the street.  
“Are you mad at me?” He asked finally.

“ _What_?” Teuvo laughed. “Why would I be mad at you?”

“We’re friends,” Sebastian shrugged. “ _Friends don’t do that_.”

“I’m fine with being more than friends.” Teuvo said with a smile, placing his hand on top of Sebastian’s. “I’ve been trying to tell you since we got here, it’s kinda funny that you did first.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” After another prolonged silence Sebastian spoke again.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Teuvo asked with a smile. “I haven’t done anything.”  
“You can drop it. I know you’re the one-”

“Hey guys, ready to head back?” Noah emerged out of the doors, Haydn’s arm draped over his shoulder. “New Jersey drunk is _definitely_ too drunk for Dogwood.”

“I’ll take him.” Teuvo pushed himself off of the curb and put his arm around Haydn’s waist. “See you tomorrow.”

“Dude,” Haydn said wearly, hanging his head. “You guys are beautiful, have I ever told you that? Whatever they make you guys do over there is working out. Look at _Fishy_ ,” he gestured towards Sebastian. “Have you ever seen a human man look like that? I mean shit man I- I’m totally gonna’ puke.”

“Okay,” Teuvo laughed. “Let’s get back to the room, alright?” The two started back up the hill as Sebastian and Noah watched, making sure they got safely across the street before making their way back to their own room.

“We kissed,” Sebastian blurted out as soon as the door to their dorm shut.

“You and Teuvo? Seb that’s awesome!” Noah smiled. “And he’s down with it?”

“Yeah. He said he’d been wanting to ask me out for a while.” Sebastian was glowing.

“I’m really happy for you, man.”

“Thanks.”

That night Sebastian had a peaceful sleep for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Another morning, another knock on the door. The same old man answered with his same smile. “Last day, are you excited?”

“Ecstatic,” Noah answered as he closed the door. “Last one, Seb.”

“Good. We can finally sleep in again.” He propped himself up as Noah tossed him a large teddy bear. “Roses again; guess he ran out of flowers.”

“Meet me at the rink, I’ll explain everything,” Sebastian read the note attached to the bear. “Seven o’clock.”

“Sounds fun,” Noah said, pulling his shirt over his head.

“You wanna come?”

“What?”

“Do you want to come with me?”

“I mean, yeah, I never pass down a chance to go to the rink. You sure though?” Noah asked. “I don’t want to get in the way of your thing.”

“You’ve been there for all of the others,” Sebastian nodded. “It’s fitting you’re there for the last one too. I mean, if you want to come.”

“Okay!” Noah smiled. “I can drive you there if you want.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you after class.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

* * *

Sebastian had really considered skipping class. At this point, there was _no way_ he was going to focus on anything. The suspense was killing him. What else could Teuvo possibly do? Whatever it was, he knew that he was going to love it. How could he not? By the time six thirty rolled around he could barely sit still.

 

 _FROM noah_ : i just got my car, i’ll pick you up at the dorm

 

 _TO noah_ : i’ll be outside

 

Noah pulled his car up to the dorm five minutes later. Ten after that they were at the rink. The two entered the building and were greeted by the employees.

“I’ll wait here,” Noah said with a smile.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, this is your thing.”

Sebastian nodded. He quickly laced the skates he had gotten from Teuvo and made his way onto the ice. The skates were a size or two too big, but he didn’t mind; _why would Teuvo know his shoe size?_

As soon as he opened the gate, dim lights shot on around the rink. His heart was pounding. For a week this had been the only thing he thought about, and now it was finally happening. In the middle of the ice, he saw a person; as he skated closer the person became more visible. Sebastian’s smile faded, recognizing the person immediately.

_Haydn?_

“You’re not Noah,” Haydn nervously laughed. “ _Fuck_. I had a feeling this was going to happen.”

“What do you mean?” Sebastian questioned. “Where’s Teuvo?”

“I told the guy Noah, _not_ his roommate. I’m really sorry Seb. This was all supposed to be for Noah, you weren’t-”

“No. It’s fine,” Sebastian cut him off bluntly. “Noah is here. I’ll go get him.” Before Haydn could answer or protest Sebastian was off of the ice.

“It’s yours.” He said, taking a seat on the bench and quickly taking off the skates. “Go.” He placed them on the bench in between them.

“What do you-”  
“You’ll see. Just go.” Sebastian watched as Noah laced his skates and made his way to Haydn, who was now holding a bouquet of roses. Haydn was talking, but he couldn’t quite make out the words. Noah had a huge smile on his face as he took the flowers from him and almost immediately dropped them to the ground. He watched as Noah and Haydn hugged and as Haydn placed a gentle kiss on his forehead, and then another on his lips.

“I fucking love you, man,” Noah yelled, spinning Haydn around the ice.

“I fucking love you too, man,” Haydn yelled back, pulling him in again for another kiss. Sebastian quietly walked outside and started up the street. _Of course this wasn’t for him._

“Seb,” Teuvo’s voice rang down the street. “Wait up!”

“I have to go, Teuvo.” Sebastian called, not bothering to stop or turn around.

“Sebastian.” Teuvo said again, this time louder than the last.

“What.” Sebastian stopped in his tracks, knowing he would have to face him eventually.

“Where are you going?”

“Back to my room.”

“Why?”

“Because this wasn’t for me.” Sebastian shrugged, disappointment covering his face. “I don’t need to be here.”

“You thought,” Teuvo started but paused, taking in what Sebastian had just said. “You thought all of Haydn’s gifts were for you?”  
“Yeah, I thought you were using them to tell me- I don’t know. It’s stupid. I should have known they weren’t from you and now look where we are.”

“Look where we are?” Teuvo repeated. “Is this why you’ve been acting so strange this week?”

“I don’t know,” he shrugged again.

“Seb,” Teuvo said quietly, their faces now within inches of each other. “Did you kiss me because you thought-” he stopped himself. “Please tell me everything that happened wasn’t because of this.”

“Everything happened so quickly. I thought- I don’t know what I thought.”

“I can’t believe this.” Teuvo sighed. “I should have known you didn’t actually have feelings for me.”

“I never said-”

“You didn’t have to.” Teuvo cut him off. “Years of _nothing._ I tried _everything_ to get your attention and you gave me nothing. Who knew all I had to do was anonymously send you a few fucking pucks to get you to want to be with me. _Naida, Sebastian._ All I’ve ever wanted was for you to like me as much as I liked-” he stopped himself, taking a deep breath. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Teuvo,” Sebastian said quietly. “I-” he started, but didn’t know how to finish. He was right, the only reason any of this had happened was because of the gifts. Sebastian watched as Teuvo turned back to the rink and disappeared inside. He turned around slowly and began to walk towards his dorm.

 

 _FROM noah_ : where did you go?

 

 _TO noah_ : i remembered i have some homework to do

 _TO noah_ : don’t worry about me :) i’ll see you back at the room

 

 _FROM noah:_ okay!

 _FROM noah_ : be safe :)

 

It was a long walk from the rink to the dorm. When Sebastian finally made it back he sank to the floor as soon as he closed the door. _How could he have been this stupid? Of course this wasn’t for him._ He sat there, his head in his hands, as tears started to roll down his face. He had let everyone down. He had taken Noah’s moment and lead Teuvo into something he knew would only end in heartache.

 

 _FROM noah:_ turns out the dates on the pucks were a bunch of milestones of our relationship, how fucking cute is that?

 _FROM noah:_ i’m not coming back to the room tonight btw

 _FROM noah:_ did you make it back?

 

 _TO noah:_ yeah i’m fine

 _TO noah:_ have a good night

 

 _FROM noah:_ you too

 _FROM noah:_ i’ll keep you updated on the gift thing he’s going to explain everything to me

 

He turned his phone off and slid it across the floor. The last thing he wanted to do was hear how amazing Noah’s night was. After what felt like hours, he finally tossed off his clothes and crawled into his bed.

* * *

Sebastian didn’t bother going to class the next day. He got out of bed around three o’clock and grabbed his phone off of the ground. He turned it on again only to find a four dozen notifications of missed calls and texts, all of which were from Noah.

 

 _FROM noah:_ are you okay?

 _FROM noah:_ dude, answer your phone you’re freaking me out

 _FROM noah:_ i left my keys somewhere and i can’t find them so i can’t come check if you’re in the room

 _FROM noah:_ no one has heard from you all day please pick up your fucking phone seb

 _FROM noah:_ DUDE

 _FROM noah:_ seb i swear to god if you don’t answer your phone i’m going to have a panic attack

 

He quickly composed a response.

 

 _TO noah_ : sorry for freaking you out, my phone was off

 _TO noah_ : let me know when you need to get into the building, i’ll let you in

 

Not even a minute later, Noah texted him back.

 

 _FROM noah:_ THANK GOD

 _FROM noah:_ I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD SEB KEEP YOUR FUCKING PHONE ON

 _FROM noah:_ i’m outside now, please come let me in

 

Sebastian slipped a shirt on and went to meet Noah.

“Dude, you look like shit.”

“Thanks.”

“No, seriously. What happened to you?”

“I’ve been asleep all day,” Sebastian shrugged. “I needed to take a day off of class and everything. Turns out a mid-week bender _is_ a bad idea.”

“That was two days ago, are you okay?” Noah questioned. “You don’t seem like the type of person to ‘take a day off’.” Sebastian took a second before he responded, contemplating whether or not to tell Noah the truth.

“No, I’m not. But I don’t really want to talk about it.”

“And you didn’t want to talk to me for the first month you were here, too bad,” Noah pushed himself into their room and took a seat on the floor beside his bed. “Talk to me.”

“Noah I don’t-”

“I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Fine,” Sebastian huffed. For the next three hours the two boys sat on the floor and talked. Sebastian explained his situation with Teuvo; his unwarranted disappointment and his uncertainty about their relationship.

“But I kissed him because of those gifts,” Sebastian said again. “That means our entire relationship is based on that.”

“Seb, _listen to me_ .” Noah sighed. “You two had something going way before any of this happened, even if you didn’t realise it. This whole thing only instigated you kissing him, not the relationship itself. _You just need to go talk to him_.”

“He doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“How do you know that? The last time he saw you he was mad, yeah, but that doesn’t mean he never wants to talk to you again,” he explained. “Here’s what I’m going to do,” he held up his phone. “I’m going to call Haydn and tell him that Teuvo should come down here so you guys can-”  
“No,” Sebastian cut him off. “I think we both need time to calm down. I’ll talk to him when I’m ready.”

“Sebastian, I really don’t think you should let this sit.”

“I do. We just need to calm down.”

“If you say so.”

“I know Teuvo, if I try and go talk to him now we’re both going to be too emotional to come to the right conclusion. The last thing I want to do is have him completely break things off.”

“I guess you’d know him better than I would,” Noah agreed. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Chick-fil-a?” Sebastian suggested, pushing himself off of the ground; he hadn’t eaten all day.

“Of course.”

* * *

It had been two weeks since that night and they still hadn’t talked to, or even seen, each other. Sebastian had stopped going out with the team, for fear of running into Teuvo. No more meeting in the morning for coffee and breakfast, no more texting him in the middle of the day to see if he wanted to hang out. Sebastian wanted nothing more than to go talk to him, but he was scared. _What if Teuvo was still upset? He couldn’t take that chance._

 

Saturday morning Sebastian and Noah were woken by a knock at the door. Sebastian got out of bed first and slowly opened the door to a familiar face.

“Hey Seb! I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever, man,” Haydn’s smiling face greeted him.

“Hey, Haydn,” Sebastian smiled as he wiped his eyes. “What are you-”

“Get dressed, we’re going to the rink.”

“I don’t really want-”

“It’s not optional,” Haydn smiled, pushing his way into the room. “Hey, babe.”

“Hey, babe,” Noah waved, not bothering to sit up in his bed. “Here to join me?” He patted the bed beside him.

“I’d love to, but we have to take Seb to the rink first,” Haydn winked.

“I thought this was happening later.”

“Nah, we’re doing it now.”

“Guess I’ll get dressed then.” Noah slid out of his bed and gave Haydn a quick kiss before sliding into his clothes.

“Does someone want to tell me what’s happening?” Sebastian asked.

“Nope,” Noah smirked.

“You’ll find out eventually.”

Haydn ushered them outside and to his car, which was still running outside. It was a quick ride to the rink and Sebastian spent in mostly in silence. He sat in the back of the car and listened as Noah and Haydn happily flirted with each other. When they got to the rink Haydn pushed them inside, paid for skates, and took them onto the ice.

“You and Teuvo are supposed to be together and my gifts messed that up,” Haydn explained, dragging Sebastian onto center ice. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Haydn.”

“I feel like it is, thought. That’s why we decided to fix it,” he motioned to Noah. “When Hanny told me how sad you were acting we decided that we had to do something.”

“And since you weren’t going to reach out to him,” Noah continued.

“And since Teuvo was scared that you weren’t actually into him.” Haydn took Sebastian by the shoulders.

“ _Aloittaa alusta?”_ A voice called behind them. Haydn let go and Sebastian turned around.

_Teuvo._

“I shouldn’t have said any of that,” he started. “There was no reason to be mad at you, I just-” he was cut off my Sebastian, who had flung himself into Teuvo’s arms. His arms were wrapped around his waist, with his head buried in his neck.

“ _I’m so sorry._ ” Sebastian said into his neck. “ _I didn’t mean for any of this to happen._ ”

“It’s not your fault,” Teuvo laughed. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” Sebastian pulled his head from Teuvo’s neck, meeting his gaze. Teuvo planted a gentle kiss on his forehead before pushing him away.

“Can we start over?” Teuvo asked, taking both of Sebastian’s hands in his.

“Of course we can.”

“Good,” Noah blurted out, putting an arm around both of their shoulders. “It would have been _so_ weird if you would have said no.”

“Yeah, I’m tired of you guys avoiding each other,” Haydn agreed.

“You guys suck,” Teuvo laughed, pulling Sebastian in for a kiss.

“Gross,” Noah laughed, pushing himself away from them.

* * *

“Do you _really_ have to go back to Finland?” Haydn huffed as they stood at the entrance of the airport.

“Yeah, our student visas only cover one semester.” Teuvo sighed. “That doesn’t mean we’ll never talk again though.”

“Better not,” Brett said bluntly.

“I’m going to miss you guys.” Jeff smiled, pulling Sebastian and Teuvo in for another hug.

“We’re going to miss you too,” Sebastian said with a smile. “We should probably get going, though. Our flight is supposed to take off in half an hour.”

“Fine. Text us as soon as you land,” Brock said, patting Teuvo on the shoulder.  
“Yeah, let us know you got there,” Noah added.

“Will do,” Teuvo said with a smile. Jeff pulled everyone in for one last group hug before the two Finns walked through the checkpoint.

“They better come back next year,” Martin said grabbing his bags.

“We are, so they have no excuse,” Andrei agreed.

* * *

“We should come back next year.” Sebastian said, laying his head on Teuvo’s shoulder as the plane took off.

“Yes _we_ should.”

**Author's Note:**

> i hope you liked it! be sure to check out everyone else's works in the collection (TheCanesExchange)! Everything will also be posted on our tumblr page, @thecanesexchange
> 
> if you want to talk to me about the fic/suggest something feel free to hmu on tumblr @calefleury


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